Music has long been a medium for activism and the efforts of Earth Day are no exception. In honor of Earth Day we have added a selection of pieces to this special playlist from our catalog that highlight the beauty of the Earth and represent what artists are doing to raise environmental awareness.
Listen to the full playlist on your favorite streaming platform today.
UNDER AN INDIGO SKY
Edward Hart
“Under an Indigo Sky is a love letter to my geographical home, the American Southeast,” says composer Edward Hart. Spanning the Inland, The Coast, and The Mountains in three movements, the title piece of this billboard chart-topping album features the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, who provides a rich musical backdrop for violin soloist Yuriy Bekker.
“I am continually amazed and thankful for the natural and cultural diversity of this relatively small area. I have attempted to musically capture three distinct types of Southern locales with an eye not only to the landscapes, but to the feel and ‘soul’ of the places.”
Composer Edward Hart
UNDER AN INDIGO SKY
Under an Indigo Sky for violin and orchestra is a musical love letter written to Hart’s geographical home, exploring both the physical splendor of the mountains and coast.
ICEFIELD
Matthew Burtner
If glaciers could speak, what would they tell us? On ICEFIELD, veteran composer Matthew Burtner answers that very question. Combining specialized field recordings of glaciers and Arctic storms, electroacoustics, and traditional instruments, each piece on the album channels the whip-crack chill of the air, the blinding snow, and the awe-inspiring sight of glacial fields breaking apart and bringing sea levels higher and higher.
ICEFIELD
On ICEFIELD, composer Matthew Burtner presents an eclectic series of works exploring the intersection between the environment and controlled sound, with field recordings of glaciers and Arctic storms, electroacoustics, and more.
Burtner undertakes a similar venture in his upcoming Ravello Records album, SOUNDSCAPES OF RESTORATION, turning his talents and attention to the Atlantic coast. Hear the first single from the album on Spotify.
BORN: THE MUSIC OF EDIE HILL AND MICHAEL GILBERTSON
The Crossing
Teeming with singing that is transcendent and authentic, The Crossing’s superb expressiveness is ever-present on the Grammy award-winning BORN from Navona Records. Featured on the album is composer Edie Hill’s Spectral Spirits, a 13-movement commentary on humans’ hands in the extinction of entire wildlife populations, in this case numerous species of birds.
“I grieve every day for the state of our planet and her creatures. Composing Spectral Spirits was a gift that gave me a chance to funnel this grief. It allowed me to celebrate the creatures we’ve lost. And, it was an impetus to look out for the ones that still appear in the treetops.”
Composer Edie Hill
BORN
Conductor Donald Nally leads the GRAMMY-winning choir The Crossing on a breathtakingly beautiful expedition into themes of extinctions, complex relationships, loss, and love on BORN: THE MUSIC OF EDIE HILL AND MICHAEL GILBERTSON
MESEROLE STREET
Hevreh Ensemble
The Hevreh Ensemble’s close-knit relationship and signature sound shines bright on MESEROLE STREET, all the while providing commentary on the issues of our times through ensemble member Jeff Adler’s unique compositions. His piece, Too Late to Matter, expresses concern with the world’s inability to effectively deal with climate change and its looming repercussions.
“It is a composition that is filled with frustration but ends on a hopeful note with the sound of the shofar.”
Composer Jeff Adler
MESEROLE STREET
On MESEROLE STREET, the Hevreh Ensemble’s close-knit relationship and signature sound once again proves their notion: “good friendship makes for good music, and great stories.”
KASSANDRA
Anthony Brandt
On KASSANDRA, composer Anthony Brandt and librettist Neena Beber explore two leading issues of our times — climate change and sexual harassment. The chamber opera tells the tale of a scientist whose forecasts of climate change are discredited as a result of rejecting sexual advances from a venture capitalist. In today’s world, scientists face a similar curse, their warnings of our warming planet too often ignored.
KASSANDRA
Composer Anthony Brandt and librettist Neena Beber explore two leading issues of our times on KASSANDRA, a tragic yet familiar story a scientist whose forecasts of climate change are discredited as a result of rejecting sexual advances.